Bonngard's Family Meats and Deli - Cottage Grove, MN

Welcome to Bonngard's Family Meats - A Minnesota Meat Market and Deli

Bonngard's Family Meats is a one of a kind meat market located in Cottage Grove, Minnesota that combines over 80 years of experience with new ideas to assist local families to provide easy and affordable home cooked meals.

Offering not only the traditional items you would expect to find but also have the extra's that really make that meal special.

The owners live in Cottage Grove, MN and have strong ties to the community. While
fulfilling a life long goal of running a unique store combining the old fashioned small town feel, while supplying all the latest cuts of meat. In our deli and meat shop, we will help you find what you want for dinner, sharing our favorite ideas along the way.

Join the experience by stopping into our meat market and deli.

I know you buy your meat at some grocery store where the butcher is a faceless Mexican in a back room who's retirement plan is to cut his thumb off in the ban saw. We all do. And occasionally that's OK. But it's a really smart move to find yourself a butcher, a real honest to God, old school butcher. Or at least a grocery store with a meat counter where you can talk to a guy instead of isles upon isles of heartless prepackaged carcass(prepackaged hearts not withstanding).

There are a few reasons for this, first the butcher is one of the original man's men. Remember the Brady Bunch? Was Sam the butcher some sap who married a twat and took in her 3 whining, gabbing, menstruating daughters? No, he banged the maid and sent her home when he was done with her. All she got was a few free pounds of meat and a lot of double entendres. That and being up to your wrists in dead animals all day is petty much the definition of manly

Second, he knows more than you do and you can ask him questions with out shame. You can't ask some teenager in an apron what the difference between flank and skirt steak is while he's trying to price the Rice-A-Roni. The butcher is one of the few men you're expected to ask questions of and it's not an admission of weakness or idiocy. In the olden days he would be a tribal elder. The elder who always smelled of blood and entrails.

Finally, if you know your butcher he's gonna give you better stuff. Everybody likes someone who's interested in their job, the butcher is no exception. So when you asking him to cut you some 2 inch thick pork chops, he's not annoyed that you don't want what's on the counter. He's glad to have a customer so interested that he knows exactly what he wants. That means he'll choose better cuts for you, maybe give you an extra half pound for free.

So next time you're thinking of grilling a steak, find a butcher nearby and ask him what he recommends. He'll give you his best stuff, best info and you just may make a blood splattered friend. Who's not a serial killer.

Hopefully.

This article originally from Fat Bastard Eats Like a Man. If you liked this you might like an explanation of why I love bacon.

Please stop by and let me know what you think.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Frank_B.

Visit Bonngard's Family Butcher Shop and Deli.

As a third generation butcher at B&B Grocery, Meat & Deli, I'm often asked how to pick out a perfect steak. Here's what I tell my customers.

Don't just pick out any steak. That is one of the worst things you can do. All steaks are not the same. Therefore, take your time when picking out a steak. There are steaks that are better for grilling and some steaks are better to slow cook. Generally, if the steak has "chuck" or "round" in the name then it is better to marinate and slow cook. If the steak has "rib" or "loin" in the name it will be a lot more tender and better for grilling. Ask your butcher which types of steaks are best for the way you want to cook your steak.

The thicker the better. Steaks that are cut too thin are easy to over cook. Over cook a steak and you could end up with a dry, tough piece of "leather". It is easy to tell how thick steaks are at an old-fashion butcher shop. In fact, most butchers will cut thicker steaks for customers who request them. Be careful when buying steaks in packs. It can be hard to see the thickness of all the steaks.

It is important to look for steaks with the most fat marbling and streaking. Steaks with the most fat marbling are generally more flavorful and tender. The most marbled cut is the rib-eye. It is cut from the same piece of meat as the prime rib.

Don't cut the fat off! A lot of my customers want all the fat cut off the sides of their steaks. I don't recommend this at all! I tell my customers to leave the fat on while they cook their steaks. Fat helps keep the steak juicy and enhances the steak's flavor. You can cut all the fat off you want once the steak is cooked.

Knowing what to look for in a steak is as important as cooking a steak. Still not sure what to look for in a steak? Ask your neighborhood butcher. They always like to help ensure you get the best steak for your special occasion.

John Brooks is a 3rd generation butcher for B&B Grocery, Meat & Deli. A neighborhood grocery store that has been family owned and operated since 1922. You can learn more about John Brooks and B&B Grocery, Meat & Deli by visiting their web-site at http://www.bbgrocerymeatdeli.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_A._Brooks,_Jr

Visit Bonngard's Family Meat - A Local Butcher Shop and Deli in Cottage Grove, MN.